


When Skies Are Gray

by orphan_account



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Domestic, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 19:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8298154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's like they were made for each other.





	1. You Never Know, Dear

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of non-linear vignettes. Sorry for any confusion. Enjoy!

Junmyeon opened the side door to his house and stepped inside, carefully removing the rain boots he’d worn to and from work that day and spotting a trail of muddy shoe prints as he did so. He knew they had a mud room for exactly that purpose, but Junmyeon couldn’t help the groan that slipped out—Sehun knew better. For a brief moment Junmyeon contemplated disciplining his son, eventually deciding against that course of action when the mud on the floor caught his eye again. Instead, Junmyeon took off his coat to hang it by the door and called out “Hello Kyungsoo.”

There was a muffled thump and Junmyeon thought he heard Sehun mutter a nervous expletive before yelling a sheepish “Sorry, Dad!” back to him. Less than 30 seconds later Junmyeon caught sight of his younger son and his boyfriend rushing toward him from down the hall. Kyungsoo stopped at the single step separating the mud room’s hardwood from the carpet to bow politely in greeting, but Sehun didn’t bother and barreled right into his father. The boy clung to Junmyeon like an overeager koala and it was definitely the sight of tall, lanky Sehun hanging over his tiny parent that had Kyungsoo giggling cutely. Secretly Junmyeon was glad that his son had somehow avoided the rebellious and angsty stage of his teenage development; he didn’t let his pleasure show, though, because Junmyeon knew that Sehun would think that a little aegyo would help him get away with anything if Junmyeon cracked right now.

“Sehun.” Junmyeon’s voice was hard to hear against his son’s shoulder, but Sehun was waiting for the discipline and heard his name just fine. His embrace tightened and Kyungsoo’s giggles became actually laughter when Junmyeon retaliated with a pinch to his son’s side and a flick to the forehead once Sehun let him go indignantly.

Sehun returned to his boyfriend’s side with a pout on his lips, but one look from Junmyeon had Kyungsoo turning Sehun back around to face his father.

“Appa and I raised you to clean up after yourself, Sehun-ah,” Junmyeon chided gently.

Sehun’s expression turned earnest. “I know that, Dad! Kyungsoo does too!” His boyfriend peeked out at Junmyeon from over Sehun’s shoulder and nodded before giving Sehun an annoyed pinch of his own. “Sorry, babe,” Sehun spoke to them both. “You too, Dad. But we were kind of soaked and it was cold and I figured I could just take care of it before you got home but then time got away from us and—”

Interrupting his son’s rambling, Junmyeon looked between Sehun and Kyungsoo suspiciously and raised an eyebrow. “You better not have been making out on the couch again.”

Kyungsoo flushed a bright red and Sehun literally squawked in embarrassment. Junmyeon considered that enough of a punishment for the two teens and had to hide his smile when he swept his arm across the length of the room to remove the moisture from the mess on the floor. “You know what to do,” he reminded them with a pointed look. Both boys were still red but they murmured their understanding and set to work cleaning up the rest of it.

Junmyeon turned to glance over his shoulder at their progress as he stepped onto the carpet, and couldn’t help admiring their team work as Kyungsoo dragged each individual speck of dirt into a single pile and Sehun used a few mini gusts to transport the whole thing out into the yard. The proud father did allow himself a smile then and, walking down the hallway into the rest of the house, made sure to mention that Kyungsoo was more than welcome to stay for dinner but “Sehun, if I find out from your brother that you two really were kissing on the couch again, don’t think I won’t send your boyfriend home!”


	2. How Much I Love You

Chanyeol rubbed tiredly at his temple and sighed. He wished his husband were home—Junmyeon always was so much better with the boys than Chanyeol seemed to be, and frankly Chanyeol just missed him—but Junmyeon was away for business and wouldn't be home for another day at least.

"Please, love?" Chanyeol pleaded with his son, who was all of four years old and still apparently impossible to reason with. "Just one bite?"

Jongdae shook his head. His breath shuddered slightly and Chanyeol's panic grew; Jongdae could probably cause a black out if he got upset enough—they figured he'd manifest with electrokinesis, once he was old enough. Desperate, Chanyeol turned to his slightly younger son.

"Sehun, baby, why don't you tell your brother how yummy your dinner is?"

Sehun complied, smiling widely to show Jongdae all of the delicious food stuck in between his teeth. Good enough, Chanyeol figured, though he knew Junmyeon would chide their child ever so gently were he home. At this point, Chanyeol couldn't care less about three-year-old Sehun's table manners, not if that brilliant smile got Jongdae off the precipice of an oncoming storm.

"I know it's yummy, Appa," Jongdae told his father. His voice was a whimper and Chanyeol knew he'd lost the fight when Jongdae began to cry. "That's why I'm sad!"

Chanyeol didn't understand that reasoning exactly, but Jongdae had been pretty excited by the flame Chanyeol had produced to grill the sausages in the first place, so Chanyeol didn't really understand any of this.

"You're sad because you can't eat the yummy food that Appa made for you?" Chanyeol just had to ask. "Why don't you eat what's right there, on your plate?"

The lights flickered where they say together at the kitchen table; Jongdae sniffled; Sehun continued to make a mess as he ate, happily oblivious.

"It's to cute," Jongdae whispered tearfully. "Like Sehunnie. I can't eat Sehunnie!"

Sehun shrieked in laughter. He evidently thought the whole thing was a game, and even lifted his shirt up so his brother could have prime access to blowing raspberries onto his belly.

"Can't eat Sehunnie?" He asked curiously when Jongdae continued to sniffle.

"Not today, baby," Chanyeol cooed to his younger son as he tried to avoid a second breakdown. To Jongdae he said softly, "What would you like Appa to do, Dae?" He looked down at the sausage cut into small slices and arranged into a smile. "Should I make the face sad?"

The power cut off; that would be a no, then.

Chanyeol was quick to produce a little flame for light so Sehun wouldn't also start to cry.

"It's too cute to be sad," Jongdae informed Chanyeol. "I want it to keep its smile."

"But what about your smile, love?" Chanyeol asked his son as he reached across the table to light a candle they always kept around for moments just like this.

"Hyung," Sehun piped up, mouth full of food, "Smile!" The younger boy smiled broadly again and this time Chanyeol felt the need to speak up, in case open-mouthed eating became a habit.

"Sehun," he began. He was interrupted.

"Baby, you know Appa and I would prefer if you ate with your mouth closed." Junmyeon was home, an entire day early. Chanyeol felt he'd never been so happy to see his husband.

Junmyeon rubbed his thumb over Jongdae's tear-stained cheeks, literally evaporating the dampness from his son's face. "And you. Jongdae, love, how are you going to grow big and tall like your Appa if you don't eat your dinner?"

Chanyeol wasn't sure if the genetics of Jongdae's birth parents promised height in his son's future, but the mere possibility was miraculously enough to get some food into Jongdae's mouth.

The power flickered back on the moment Jongdae calmed down, and Chanyeol snuffed the candle.

"Welcome home," he greeted his husband, finally. Junmyeon leaned over his shoulder from behind and kissed the corner of Chanyeol's mouth. Jongdae and Sehun both giggled. "You're a miracle worker," Chanyeol breathed in relief.

Junmyeon pecked him again, this time square on the mouth. "Flatterer," he whispered against his husband's lips.


	3. So Please

Jongdae was nervous as he looked out the window to see Yifan directly in front of him, waving. He cleared his throat once and the gray clouds which had been gathering for the past hour crackled ominously as he gestured frantically for Yifan to get out of the sky and to use the door like a normal person.

Of course, Yifan going to the door and ringing the doorbell meant he’d probably run into one or both of Jongdae’s parents. This would be fine on a normal day, but Jongdae knew for a fact that the reason for Yifan’s visit was anything but normal.

“Dae,” Chanyeol called from the foot of the stairs. “There’s someone at the door for you.”

As Jongdae rushed down the steps he heard his appa, Junmyeon, quietly chide Chanyeol for not inviting Yifan in.

“The poor boy’s probably already soaked to the bone,” Junmyeon murmured. “It’s coming down pretty hard out there.”

They all knew Jongdae was at least partially responsible for the inclement weather, but when he appeared, breathless and red in the face, Junmyeon merely smiled at his son and waved a hand in Yifan’s direction. The gesture was two-fold: it simultaneously showed Jongdae where his friend was waiting and dried Yifan from any rainwater that had soaked him while he’d been outside.

Chanyeol grinned and pulled his husband into a side-arm hug. “You’re so talented,” he complimented, gaze and tone loving.

Junmyeon blushed but let Chanyeol peck the top of his head before they both turned to their elder son and his guest.

“It’s nice to see you again, Wufan,” Junmyeon greeted, still tucked neatly into Chanyeol’s side.

“Yifan,” Jongdae hissed the correction, clearly mortified.

The young man in question colored at the mistake but remained silent--whether out of respect or fear, Jongdae’s parents weren’t quite sure.

Chanyeol’s boisterous personality filled the awkward silence in an instant. “Ah, yes,” he said cheerfully, “Yifan. You’re Dae’s friend from school, right?”

Just as Jongdae nodded and Yifan opened his mouth to finally speak, Sehun, Kyungsoo in tow, slinked in from the kitchen. “I think you mean boyfriend,” he teased, his usually flat expression replaced with a rare smirk.

Jongdae’s shriek was immediate and indignant; if not for Yifan’s strong grip on the smaller’s forearms, Jongdae would likely have taken Sehun down.

“Boys,” Junmyeon interceded as well, privately impressed with Yifan’s ability to calm Jongdae down. Despite the storm raging outside and Jongdae’s display of anger, they hadn’t had a blackout yet; this was a victory in itself and Junmyeon decided that if Sehun was right and Yifan really did want to be Jongdae’s boyfriend, then he certainly didn’t mind.

Chanyeol, it seemed, agreed with his husband, even though Junmyeon hadn’t voiced his thoughts aloud. “Boyfriend, huh?” He smiled widely and rested his chin on the top of Junmyeon’s head. When Yifan gulped, but nodded and slid his hand down Jongdae’s arm until their fingers were tangled together, Chanyeol continued.

“Well we still have power,” he joked as Jongdae covered his face and groaned. “So you’ve got that going for you.” To his credit Yifan merely looked amused and didn’t actually laugh aloud like Sehun did. That gained him points in Chanyeol and Junmyeon’s books too. “And you didn’t freak out when Jongdae’s Appa here dried you off,” Chanyeol gestured to his husband as he spoke and Junmyeon smiled up at him.

“No sir,” Yifan spoke, for the first time since he’d arrived at the front door and asked politely to see Jongdae. He looked like he was going to say more but Jongdae interrupted before he could.

“Yifan can fly. He’s like us, Dad,” Jongdae sighed heavily. He seemed quite ready to escape this conversation. “Gifted.”

Sehun chortled. He leaned over to Kyungsoo, who blushed when Sehun whispered loudly “Yeah, gifted with his hands.”

The lights flickered overhead. Jongdae looked positively murderous while the tips of Yifan’s ears tinted pink. Kyungsoo suddenly discovered a sense of self-preservation on both his and Sehun’s behalf and dragged his boyfriend out of the room. This left Jongdae standing next to Yifan and across from Chanyeol and Junmyeon; Yifan bowed then and finally said, “I’d like permission to date your son, sirs.”

Jongdae’s blush was bright, even under the still-flickering lights of their front hall, but he looked happy and nodded furiously when Junmyeon looked at him to make sure this was okay.

Chanyeol caught the exchange and directed his warm smile to Yifan while Junmyeon answered for both of them.

“If he wants to date you, we’re more than happy to give our permission.”

Yifan looked relieved, and Jongdae sort of did too. He later told his parents that Yifan had been super nervous since he was originally from China and worried that he’d accidently get his conjugations wrong and say something rude in Korean. Junmyeon laughed and Chanyeol joked that Sehun’s rudeness had been more than enough. The younger shrugged indignantly and replied that he couldn’t help himself.

“Hyung’s boyfriend is just so awkward. It’s hilarious,” he teased. Jongdae growled and immediately the lights blinked out. When Sehun let out an unmanly shriek of terror a few seconds later, neither Junmyeon nor Chanyeol was particularly surprised.


	4. Don't Take My Sunshine Away

Dragging their bags behind them, the hotel guests turned the corner and ran right into Chanyeol’s long legs. He was quick to fold them up into an awkwardly pointy pretzel while Junmyeon looked appropriately sheepish and apologized for them both.

“Sorry about that,” he said, holding up his book and smiling almost shyly. “Just trying to get some ‘us’ time in while the kids are asleep.”

The couple who’d almost run over Chanyeol’s legs seemed to understand this sentiment. They smiled back and the wife said, “Ours are almost grown now, but we get it. How old are yours?”

To her surprise, Chanyeol’s eyes got suddenly misty and he looked ready to cry. Still he was smiling, and again Junmyeon spoke for them both when he answered, “Babies still, but just adopted. This is actually our pit stop to taking them home.”

At that the woman seemed almost ready to join Chanyeol in his tears of joy. Her husband wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

“Congratulations,” he told them. “You’re doing a wonderful thing.”

Chanyeol and Junmyeon smiled at one another and Junmyeon leaned over a little to rest his head on his husband’s shoulder. “We think so too,” he agreed.

Chanyeol hummed his happiness into Junmyeon’s hair as the couple wished them luck and waved goodbye before taking off down the hall for their hotel room.

“Things are going to be so different, Myeon,” Chanyeol murmured, still somewhat overcome.

Junmyeon nodded against Chanyeol’s shoulder. “But good different,” he said. “We need Jongdae and Sehun as much as they need us.” He thought of tiny Jongdae’s penchant for making the lights blink out, and the way Sehun’s toys would whirl in angry little cyclones whenever he was upset.

Chanyeol, ever in tune with his husband’s heart, thought too of Junmyeon’s easy way with water and his own effortless control over flame.

“It’s like we were made for each other,” he concluded, returning his attention to his book even as Junmyeon snuggled closer and his eyes fluttered shut.

“Exactly,” Junmyeon whispered, nearly asleep. “Exactly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on AFF
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story.


End file.
